Reducing sugar in baking.

Stevia is a natural sweetener which can be bought in liquid or granular form. Unfortunately to some, including myself, it has a slight bitter taste.
www.diabetes.co.uk/sweeteners/stevia.html

Erythritol is very good. Granular or powder form

My husband is type 2 diabetic I use agave syrup.

teabagwoman in many (most) of my baking recipes, I simply halve the amount of sugar called for. Sometimes I do a taste test before it goes in the cake tin and I might add a bit more.

So far, I haven't had any flops. So what I'm suggesting is, you could just adjust the recipe as far as the sugar content goes.

I'm not sure Agave syrup is a good substitute to be honest. I think learning to eat less sweet food is better.

You could choose a diabetic cook book if you want to try different recipes. If you prefer to adjust your favourite recipes then, like fevertree, I reduce the sugar by about half. Cut portion size as well, you really won't notice, and freeze what's left, so that you are significantly reducing your sugar intake. If you really can't get on with the reduced sugar taste, some modern sweeteners exactly replace sugar in recipes and taste okay, but may cause adverse effects on the stomach.

I often make shortbread biscuits and halve the amount of sugar in the recipe - they still taste just as good.

I have just bought a stevia plant. The leaves do taste incredibly sweet. I'm not sure if there is any way to use it in baking.

I left the sugar out of fruit scones, by mistake. They tasted fine.

I half the sugar in cakes, , crumbles etc...turns out f

Fine

Using mashed, very ripe banana works well. I can give you a carrot cake & a banana loaf recipe if you’re interested?

I make a boiled fruit cake and have nearly halved the sugar. It tastes good. I also make jam and have reduced the sugar. Usually it's equal quantities of fruit and sugar, if not a larger proportion of sugar. I add bout 3/4 sugar to 1:1 fruit. It is more runny but you taste the fruit. You can find recipes for reduced sugar jam online.

I half the amount of sugar in cakes and leave it out altogether if there's dried fruit, carrot or banana or some other sweeter in the cake. I make my own jams and can generally cut the sugar by about a third although strawberry doesn't get quite such a good set. Generally we've found things taste better with less sugar.

Great minds Dinahmo!

You need to watch carbohydrate intake too.

I am type 2 diabetic and any cake I make for the family I halve the sugar content. They don’t notice and it means I can have a small bit sometimes . I have never used sugar substitutes as my understanding from reading, is that it causes a similar spike in insulin response as normal sugar.

I halve the sugar as well. It seems to work OK for most things. I don’t use sweeteners since one DD told me the same thing as TwiceAsNice just said.

Redhead56

My husband is type 2 diabetic I use agave syrup.

Agave syrup is appallingly high in fructose so should be avoided by everyone.

I should have added that it doesn't cause the insulin response but otherwise it is extremely bad healthwise.

People unaware that I more than half the sugar in recipes which contain fruit (dried or fresh) say how much flavour they have. I think its got to the stage now where so much sugar is added all you can taste is sweetness and not the flavour. I also use plain chocolate or cocoa powder for cakes, still with less sugar. If you do make jam and cut down on the sugar, its more of a conserve and doesn't keep quite as long - no more than a year!

I know to watch carbohydrates too and I have it somewhere in the back of my my that using porridge oats in biscuits and bases to replace some of the flour is a help? Does anyone clever about these things know?

You can often halve the sugar - but maybe cut down on the baking? Too many refined carbohydrates. Take up walking instead.

Once diabetic, of course, sugar intake must be limited.

Still, there seems to be the enduring idea that sugar consumption causes diabetes. Animal fats in meat and dairy are problematic too.

While unhealthy diet is a factor, lack of exercise, high blood pressure and weight are too. They all tend to go together!

As the last two posters say, you need to cut carbs as well and exercise. Bananas are not a good idea either.